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Showing posts from February 18, 2011

How to Pick a Co-Founder

You've decided to start a business but believe that you'd be (much) better off with co-founders. Not a bad idea, of course. How do you pick the right person? This decision may be the most important of your company's entire history. Most early-stage startups fail due to founder disputes, not the substance of the business. And founders spend so much time together that the business relationship is the closest some of them will ever get to marriage. This is a high-octane, high-consequence, long-term date. Here are the most important things to look for in your entrepreneurial other half. 1. A complementary temperament. If you tend to run a little hot in a tense moment, get yourself a Cool Hand Luke. If you're the staid type, the ideal partner is likely someone more charismatic. The point is not that oil should seek water or that opposites must attract. The point is instead to find someone who will fill in the gaps around your personality strengths so that employees, partners